Businessman accuses police of unlawful detention, harassment

Former Group Managing Director, Quintessentially Nigeria, Okon Iyanam, has accused the Nigeria Police of unlawful detention and harassment.

PUNCH Metro had reported on August 10, 2012, that the Police Headquarters Annex, Obalende, Lagos, had quizzed Iyanam over a N50m fraud allegedly perpetrated by him when he was GMD of the company.

The firm, headed by Mr. Festus Odimegwu, had written a petition to the IG, shortly after Iyanam resigned from the company.

Iyanam alleged that it was at the behest of Odimegwu that policemen harassed and detained him for over 48 hours.

In a petition written by Iyanam’s lawyer, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, and addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, he expressed disappointment that the police allowed themselves to be used as tools to harass and intimidate an innocent person.

He also dismissed the allegations by the company as baseless and a smear campaign.

He said, “On August 5, 2012, one Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr. Ben Okolo, with armed policemen, stormed Iyanam’s residence in Lekki to effect arrest allegedly acting on the IG’s order. They also claimed to have a search warrant that entitled them to search Iyanam’s house.

“However, Iyanam was out of town but spoke to Mr. Okolo and promised to come to the Police Headquarters Annex, Lagos.

“On getting there on August 7, my client and I appeared before the police but we were informed that he was under arrest based on a petition from Odimegwu who had made allegations of fraud among other things against my client.

“At this point, Okolo said my client would be transported to Abuja at 3pm and that a flight had been booked. My client was not allowed to prepare for the trip but was forced in ‘Gestapo’ fashion under armed guard to embark on the trip to Abuja.

“When my client arrived in Abuja at 9pm, he was immediately taken to the Police Headquarters where he was forced to write a statement that he completed at 12am. Thereafter, he was transferred to Area 10 Police Headquarters where he was detained for 48 hours. My client, who has a medical history, was denied access to his family, doctor, drugs and was also refused bail.”

Kazeem said Iyanam was later granted bail on stiff conditions.

Efforts to get the spokesman for Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Frank Mba, to comment proved abortive as calls made to his telephone rang out while a text message sent to him was not replied.

 -Punch Metro